


Edge

by zacizach



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Fluff, Babysitting, Child, Gen, M/M, Modern AU, Neighbors, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Sam Wilson, Tbh im just writing whenever i want lol, a child, au where everythings not the same but still similar, au where no one fucking dies, bucky is a confident bisexual, bucky is a confident bisexual i swear, civil war? Infinity war? Endgame? Never heard of them, god dammit let these two be a family, honestly im not sure how to tag this, ish, not here no, not in this christian server no, parent!sam, parenting, probably not beta read, tags will change, theres a child, this book is making me laugh cuz bucky and sam freakin despise each other in the mcu universe, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-05-30 15:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19406509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zacizach/pseuds/zacizach
Summary: Sam had been living the single-parent life with his daughter, Riley. With a stable job as a counselor and Riley starting her first year of school, life has been pretty normal.Until a new neighbor moves in across from him. Sam thought he seemed somewhat strange but he doesn't judge a book by its cover.ORBucky "Confident Bisexual" Barnes is a disaster around Sam and Steve makes fun of him for it. Sam is an angel and Nazis are somehow involved.





	Edge

Monday afternoon, no one said anything when Sam immediately rushed out of the counseling room the moment it ended. No one even batted an eye or questioned his somewhat unusual behavior as he rushed to get his things. Most of the veterans have left but to the few who remained, they asked why the man was in the rush, of which Sam would only give them a smile with no reply. To his fellow colleagues, they would just flash him a smile as he ran past, already knowing what was going on. 

It's no doubt to anyone that Sam was beaming all day. Despite his calm behavior doing the sessions themselves, it was during breaks that they see him smile brighter than before. Of course, people know Sam Wilson to be a somewhat cheery guy but he had a slight bounce when he walked that day. That doesn't happen often.

The thing is, Sam's excited to see his daughter.

It was earlier in the morning when he first dropped off Riley in front of the preschool. It was nerve-wracking for some odd reason, seeing his kid disappear behind a set of glass doors but it wasn't a bad feeling. Sam figured it has something to do with parenthood and after about two hours of thinking it through, he supposed that was the case. He did in fact witness Riley's first year of preschool so of course, he would feel a sense of pride and worry, right? Right?!

Doesn't matter too much now- Sam has to pick up his sugarplum.

Starting the engine, Sam drove out of the parking lot and turned on some tunes on the radio. It was a random early 20s song that he had heard before. Not his usual kind of music, but Sam finds himself singing slightly off-tune to Bruno Mars for about fifteen minutes. It didn't take too long to reach the preschool, and for a moment Sam paused.

He cut off the engine and stayed in the car for a few minutes, his fingers unconsciously digging into the steering wheels. After what seemed like moments of just stoning, the realization of his daughter waiting for him inside came crashing down on him like a waterfall. Sam cursed loudly, unbuckling his seatbelt before scrambling out of the car in a not so manly way.

Entering the building he was greeted by the yellow hallway, adorned by painted grass and animal stickers. Sam took the moment to admire the decorations before he continued walking down the hallway where he knows is Riley's class. He found the door and peered through the small window to see a handful of children playing around their classroom, waiting for their parents to pick them up. The double pigtails that Sam had tied up for Riley were visibly seen above a big-picture book.

Sam entered and was quickly greeted by the teacher, Mrs. V.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Wilson!" Mrs. V greeted him, and the two adults shared a quick handshake. Sam grinned at her. "Could say the same to you, Mrs. V. How's my little girl doing? Hopefully, she didn't get into much trouble." Sam joked. He quickly looked over at Riley, who seems engrossed into her reading to notice her father in the doorway. Mrs. V followed his eyes and smiled. "Oh, no. Riley has been a sweetheart- always helping her friends. She also shares the toys with others and is always willing to help clean up. Though I have to say, Riley does like playing with the boys more often than the girls. Not like there's anything wrong with it, I just think it's something you would want to know before she rambles about her day to you."

Sam nodded, not feeling an ounce of worry as he listened to what Mrs. V was saying. "Thank you, Mrs. V."

"Anytime. Riley! Your father is here!"

One quick mention of Sam caused Riley to immediately peek out from her book. Her eyes landed on Sam's figure and she let out an audible gasp, a huge smile spreading across her face. Sam couldn't hide the smile forming when Riley dropped the book on the carpeted floor, realize her mistake, and turn back to put the huge book right where it came from. Afterward, she rushed to the shelf where her bag was and ran over to Sam.

"Daddy!" She smiled, hugging his legs due to her short height. "I missed you! Also, I made a friend, his name is Casey!"

Sam spared a glance towards Mrs. V, who gave him the 'I-told-you-so' look with a smile.

"Really? Why don't we get you ice cream and you can tell me about your day." Sam said, resulting in the loudest 'Yay!' his child has made. They bid goodbye to the teacher and made their way out of the school. The entire time Riley has just been rambling on and on about the pictures in the books and her new friends. One, in particular, named Casey, was her favorite.

From Riley's rambling, Sam learned that Casey's a kind little boy, and very respectful too. He's much quieter than the other kids but somehow managed to be friends with Riley just because he laughed at a joke Riley made. The two spent the second half of the day glued to each other's sides, and Casey even showed Riley a picture book he found cool, which was the same book Riley was looking at when Sam came. Sam can already imagine Riley wanting Casey to come over to their apartment in the future, and the thought of Riley having a best friend from a young age made him happy for her.

About ten minutes later, they passed by an ice cream shop that Riley seemed to be interested in. Like a good dad, Sam casually asked her if she wanted to go there.

Five minutes later they're sitting down at a two-seater, Riley happily licking her chocolate-mint cone while Sam had his cookies and cream on a small plastic bowl.

"I like school," Riley said. Sam smiled, licking the ice cream off his spoon. He was happy that Riley liked her first day of school. It made him worry less about her being in an unfamiliar environment when he's not around. He remembered when he had to bring Riley to the VA just because she didn't like her babysitter- not a fun time, but hey a least his co-workers now know he has a kid.

"Mhmm. How about your teacher?"

"Mrs. V is really nice and caring, but too busy to talk to me and Casey."

"Yea, well, that's because she is busy, sugar plum." Sam took the napkin from the table and dabbed it on the corner of Riley's mouth, wiping away the ice cream that failed to enter her mouth. "Mrs. V has to take care of the other kids. I know she loves all the children there equally but sometimes some of the kids need more care than others."

"I know! I'm not too sad." Obviously, that was a lie but Sam decided to let it go for now. Maybe ask her about it next time.

The two finished up their ice creams and left the shop. It was probably the late afternoon when they finally arrived back in front of their apartment. Parking at the side of the road, Sam barely had the chance to turn off the engine when Riley was already bouncing from where she sat, eager to leave the car.

Once out of the car, Sam held Riley's hand and made their way up the stairs to their apartment. Just as he was about to open the door, a tall man, sporting a pair of sunglasses with short blonde hair appeared at the other side. Sam yelped, nearly jumping from surprise. Riley also squeaked, mostly due to Sam.

"Holy- I am so sorry, are you okay?!" The man quickly rushed forward, standing directly in front of Sam to make sure he was okay. Sam was too focused on checking his heartbeat to notice how... fit the man was. Like hot damn, Sam suddenly feels self-conscious.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Sam waved it off, his hand still holding onto Riley's. "You just gave me a shock, that's all."

The man let out a sigh of relief and gave him a smile. "That's good. Uh, Steve Rogers."

"Sam Wilson."

The two shared a quick handshake. It wasn't so unusual to bump into a stranger only to introduce to each other within seconds. It usually happens between those who live in the same building or street. What's unusually strange is that Sam swore he never saw Steve before, at least not in these parts. He could have been visiting a friend and was just gonna leave. There was really no reason for Steve to make acquaintances with Sam.

"Do you live in this building?" Steve briefly asked, pointing at the building behind him with his thumb.

"Yea."

"Oh, my friend also lives here. I was just helping him out."

Sam nodded, not really quite sure why he was telling him this.

"It was nice meeting you, Sam. And your kid too." Steve briefly gave Riley a smile, of which she shyly returned though Sam did not really notice it. He was mostly trying to find the bad feeling in his chest that he was sure it should be there but wasn't. He bid Steve goodbye, and barely spared him a glance as he tugged Riley inside the building without another word. Riley didn't seem to notice the hurry and followed Sam into the elevators.

"He was tall."

Sam snorted, agreeing with her.

They reached their floor within seconds and made their way towards their apartment door located at the end of the hall. Before he could reach the last door, Sam suddenly stopped upon hearing a loud ‘FUCK!’ And a crash on his right, which happens to be the second last apartment door.

Sam raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, before remembering that the previous tenants had moved out about two months ago. This must be his new neighbor. 

The red-colored door was opened half-way, probably not intended. Sam couldn’t help but peer through the open doorway, inspecting the bare furniture inside the space of the living room. In the middle kneeled a man with his back towards them, brown hair reaching just above his shoulders. There were a couple of items scattered across the floor and a cardboard box a few steps away, which Sam guessed must have been the source of the crash.

”Hey, you okay?” Sam asked, still standing outside but talking loud enough to catch the stranger’s attention.

The man turned, almost losing his footing upon hearing Sam. He stood up, and Sam took a moment to inspect his new neighbor’s appearance, though finding himself drawn towards his blue eyes that reminded him of the sky. 

“Uh... yea?” He awkwardly said, probably ignoring the mess of... books and small trinkets on the carpeted floor. “I’m doing good, yea, um...”

”I like your hair.”

”Ri.” 

Riley looked up at Sam, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. Sam purposely ignored it to keep his focus on the new guy. "You look like you could use some help if you want."

The man opened his mouth to say something but closed it, a look of conflict on his face. Sam saw his eyes briefly going to his left arm before looking back up at him. It was the first time Sam realized that his left hand is the only one that has a glove covering it.

"If I'm not holding you back, then yea, I kinda need it."

Sam felt Riley tugging on his hand and rolled his eyes before loosening his grip. Riley easily slipped from his hand and ran over to the nearest object, which happens to be a book.

"Sam Wilson, this is Riley." Sam introduced, bending down to pick up a book from the Harry Potter series. The man also began picking up the trinkets, most of which are bracelets and charms before tossing them into a box.

"James."

"What makes you come into this lovely part of Brooklyn?" Sam asked, mostly for social sake as he and Riley piled the books into a neat stack on the floor, based on different genres.

James shrugged. "Needed a new change of scenery."

"Sounds nice."

Riley let out a gasp of excitement as she picked up what looks like a bracelet. It was a small beaded bracelet, the color of red and grey glowing against the afternoon sun seeping from the nearby window. It has one-wing charm and a star connected to it. "This is pretty!"

Sam let out a loud sigh, not quite happy that Riley is going over James' privacy (which he would talk to her about it later) but soften a bit at the sight of her happy smile. She may not know it but she has him wrapped around her little finger. "Riley, please-"

"No, it's fine." James interrupted. "She... uh, she can have it, if she wants to."

The gesture made Sam touched, but in the back of his head, he couldn't help but wonder about James' motives. He knows that James isn't a threat, but he's clearly hiding something. Who the hell wears one glove only?

Still, Sam doesn't find himself worried that much. He seems nice, maybe a bit awkward but if they hang out some more, maybe he'll warm up? And based on the books he picked up, he could tell that James' a reader, which makes him wonder what kind of job he has. 

After about five more minutes of helping James put his fallen stuff on the coffee table, Riley sleepily rubbed her eyes. It was left unnoticed by both Sam and James, and Sam grinned to himself before kneeling down to carefully pick her up. 

Riley easily rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes shutting into a deep sleep while she sucked on her fist as a habit. “Little kid’s tucked out,” Sam stated, rubbing her back. He could already feel the drool on his shirt but he didn’t really focus on that but instead focused on how even her breaths were.

James hummed in agreement. “Thanks again.”

Sam used his left hand, not holding most of Riley’s weight, to make a dismissive wave. “No biggie. We’re at the end of the hall, so if you need any help or something like that, feel free to visit. I think Riley here is taking a liking for you."

Despite saying that in a light-hearted tone, Sam immediately noticed the sudden rise of James' shoulders, and how wide his eyes got as panic seemed to replace his often than not neutral expression. It rubbed Sam the wrong way, and in the back of his mind, he was screaming at himself to avoid James, to protect Riley, get him away from her. But he didn't.

"Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine."

Sam ignored the slight edge in James' voice and made his way to the front door. "I'll see you then."

"Mhmm. Yeap."

Sam stood there awkwardly.

"Are you gonna help me with the door or...?"

"Oh, shi- sorry."

* * *

The moment his new neighbor- Sam, god damn it sounded beautiful- left his trash of an apartment, Bucky finds himself running to the small kitchen area where he knows he left his phone there. Sure enough, it was there- laying on top of the microwave which he just plugged in exactly one hour ago.

Bucky felt his heart racing and his cheeks turning hot a bit as he searched for Steve's contact number, finding it in record time and calling him despite Steve leaving his apartment about thirty minutes ago.

As the phone rings, Bucky begins to wonder why he's even going to Steve for this. The man may be a confident bisexual but for the love of God, he's dense as fuck. Can't even see that both him and Tony are flirting too much with each other it makes you think they're actually a couple. He could have gone for Natasha instead but for some reason Bucky finds himself going to Steve first. If his instincts scream at him to go for Steve then what's the worse that could happen?

"Hello-?"

"Fuck you."

"Pardon me?" Bucky let out an exasperated sigh once hearing Steve's confusion. Honestly, he should have expected it- it's not as if Steve was there when he saw Sam. He wasn't there to see Bucky absolutely smitten by how attractive Sam looked- but it didn't help that he had a kid. And if he has a kid, it means he has a wife or a husband. Still, Sam looked like a god damn Greek God that happened to see him drop about eighteen books and a million bracelets but that's beside the point. The point is, Sam is good-looking as fuck and Bucky is dying because of it.

"You said I don't have to worry about anyone knowing I'm here. There's a hot guy who's not only nice but really fucking nice and he has a daughter."

It took a while for Steve to reply but once he does, Bucky knows he made a mistake to call him.

"You like Sam Wilson?"

"NO! I just think he's attra- wait, how did you know him?"

"Not important. Does he know about your arm?"

Bucky stopped his pacing in favor of pausing in horror as realization seeped in. He looked down, seeing his sleeve covering his entire arm as well as the black glove that hid the rest of it. It didn't make anyone suspicious- no, the public simply turned their heads when he was bringing his boxes up to his apartment. He didn't need the attention of people seeing that he actually lost his left arm, and besides, he needed the extra arm to bring his shit up.

But that was only temporary. He was only using it to bring his stuff- he must have forgotten to lock the door before Sam saw him.

Oh fuck. Sam saw him. Not just him, but Riley too.

"Fuck."

"Oh my god-"

"Just this ONCE, of course, things never go my way! Sam now sees me as a person with two arms instead of one and a prosthetic that ki-"

"Bucky STOP! Don't think like that! Why can’t you just tell him-?!”

Bucky loudly groaned, effectively cutting him off as he flopped- back first- on the bare brown couch Steve helped him bring up. “Steve, the reason why I even moved is to literally not be apart of civilization.”

Okay, that part isn’t actually true. The real reason why Bucky decided to stay in his own apartment than live with his best friend was that he as he said before, needed a new change of scenery. Bucky needed to be alone, needed to find his place in the world before he goes back to Steve and his friends.

But now that would be impossible. Sam had met him, no doubt he would recognize him outside their apartment. He could also visit whenever, and it would make Bucky feel terrible if he purposely avoids him. Not only that but his kid? Riley? She seemed to like him a bit and Bucky’s heart ached at the thought of making her upset.

”Buck, you can still do the things you gotta do. Sam doesn’t seem like a bad guy- trust me, I met him on the front step. He has a kid and you know this. You’re still allowed to make a few friends here and there while still being under the radar. Why don’t you talk to him?”

Bucky left the phone on speaker and placed it on his stomach, feeling a slight weight. He pondered over his options as Steve patiently waited on the other line. 

“I don’t want Sam to get involved.” He decided to say.

Steve didn’t reply back, not because he didn’t know how to answer but because he knew Bucky was right. At least that’s what Bucky thinks.

”I’ll just see what the future holds for me. If we end up being friends then... then why not, I suppose. I gotta head off now, still have a lot to unpack.”

Steve sighed. “Alright. I’ll talk to you soon, okay? Bye Buck.”

”Bye.”

Bucky didn't move his spot at all after Steve hung up on him. He was left in his own thoughts, which most of them are about Sam.

The most logical part of him wanted to ignore Sam and tell him to back off before things get serious, but another part of him, somewhere in his heart, yearned to learn more about Sam. To find out more as to why Bucky was so attracted to him besides his good looks. There's something in Sam that Bucky finds but wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it is Bucky finds himself...

No, he needs to stop it. He can't think of having a relationship, nonetheless a platonic or even a romantic one with someone who has a better life. Who has to care for a daughter, watch her grow up. Who has to be the husband to someone else's.

That last thought somehow made Bucky upset.

Still lost in his thoughts, Bucky decides to fix his apartment tomorrow in favor of taking a quick nap. Just a quick one.

He woke up at midnight, somehow managing to hear the door opening and closing from the end of the hall.


End file.
